Taliban seize district in Helmand province

The Taliban overran the district center and several military and police installations in Now Zad in the southern Afghan province of Helmand yesterday. The fall of Now Zad is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Afghan security forces and government, which are struggling to maintain control of areas liberated from the Taliban just a few years ago. The Taliban claimed it launched “a coordinated assault on enemy positions around Now Zad district center” on July 28, according to a statement on its official website, Voice of Jihad . Six “check posts” were overrun on the first day, and the jihadist group said it killed 25 security personnel. The next day, the Taliban claimed that “Mujahideen managed to overrun the PRT [provincial reconstruction team] building along with 2 more check posts overnight, killing 14 hireling troops” and seized weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and ...